On 15 March, a Joint Committee of Senators and Deputies will agree on the final text and the votes of the Senate and the National Assembly will start from the following day, with a great debate awaiting to be held until 26 March. It should be recalled that the government has the possibility to use Article 49.3 of the Constitution, that is, to give the green light to the reform without a vote, but they have announced that it is not their intention to reach it, they want to get the majority. However, by a narrow margin of a couple of votes it is possible to decide whether or not to approve the reform.

On Wednesday, the trade unions were called on to strike and protest and mass mobilizations are expected as before. On 7 March, a general strike was held in which sectors such as refineries, the electricity and gas sectors, garbage collectors, chargers and stained glass and ceramics, the trade union association CGT called for an indefinite strike “until the reform of the retas” was rejected. According to the union, there were a million people on Saturday who joined the protest, but according to the police there were 368,000.

Keys to reform

Pensions are one of the most important reforms of President Emmanuel Macron’s mandate. The changes that have led to the anger of citizenship include, inter alia, the progressive increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years until 2030 and the increase in the contribution of 42 years, almost all of which go to the general scheme of the 42 sectors currently under special retirement arrangements, such as carters, driving meters and senators, with the retirement conditions of the other professions.

The unions say that “the ones who lose the most” will be women, because they spend part of their working life on care, and the government says they want to offset that inequality with subsidies. In addition, Macron states that the minimum pensions will be EUR 1,200, but in practice it is difficult to do so, as taxes will be higher. Provision is also made for this amount only for workers who have received the minimum wage for a lifetime.

The LAB trade union has also fought against reform: “It is the political choice of a liberal government that responds only to capitalist interests.” They warn that the government’s reasons for law enforcement are “misleading.” Among the measures requested are the contribution of 37.5 years for portraits of 60 years, the completion of the tax gifts of the Employers, the increase in wages and the establishment of the negotiation areas thereof.